Sakuras obsession
by Joce11
Summary: Sakura feels like no one loves her. Everything changes for the worst when a Sand ninja forcibly puts kinjutsu on her and takes her away. She is forced to be with him, and tensions rise as she discovers the true power the jutsu has over her. GaaraxSakura
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Naruto story! I've spent tons of days thinking up plots and such that went into this. The first chapter is a bit of a sample/teaser of whats to come. Don't wory it gets way better after everything is introduced.**

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****Chapter One: The beginnings of deceit. **

The noonday sun covered all of Konoha in its sweeping blanket of warmth. The activity of the village hidden in the leaves was as should be expected. It was a regular day. There was no threat of orochimaru whatsoever, there were no gigantic snakes to be seen, and there certainly weren't any hokages back from the dead wandering the street doing a certain someone's evil bidding. A teen of around the age of fifteen was walking purposefully down the dusty streets. Her hair was still short and a vibrant pink. She wore her red dress with white trimming. Under it, black combat shorts could be seen, and followed by that, were her blue sandals. She took a sweeping glance and saw the numerous shops that littered the sidewalls. Men pedaling cheap zoris, or even expensive looking handbags. There was also Ichiraku's ramen shop. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of that delicious ramen.

_'Miso pork would be nice...' _she thought with a wistful glance.

But she shook her head, coming back to her senses.

_Ughh…'_ she thought, disgusted. _'That's something only naruto would like... what am I thinking?'_ she thought. But she found her voice finally.

"No. No way, I have to stay on task, just deliver these anko dumplings to The Nara's house and then I can go back to my house and practice my chakra control." she reprimanded herself.

Not that she really needed the practice; she just had to occupy her time with _something_ at least.

_'Man I need a boyfriend'_ she thought with a huge sigh as she dutifully walked past the hot springs.

She was nearing the farthest part of Konoha. As her sandals made the light click click sound on the smooth stones she was walking on, she heard a male voice, and it was _giggling. _

_'Who on earth could that be?' _she asked herself. But she hardly had to ask. She already knew before she saw the flowing white hair, and the giant scroll on the back of the man she had come to know.

'_Oh god, its naruto's teacher, Ero-sennin. What's his name again?'_ She thought, but the disturbing mocking name 'Ero-sennin' was all she could remember.

Before she could get her mouth around the thought that was in her head she immidetly blurted out:

"Hey! Ero-sennin!"

and at that moment, realizing what she had done, she clapped a hand around her mouth and stood there, looking mortified. The man became quiet all at once, as if thinking, _'well, if I stay really still and pretend that I never heard that annoying big- fore-headed girl, and then maybe, just maybe she might stalk off to pester some other poor man.'_ Of course his logic seemed to fail in the aspect that Sakura wasn't going anywhere. She was just standing there like an idiot, waiting for the sennin to yell at her for calling him that disrespectful term. So they waited for each of the other to talk, and break the annoyingly long and dreadfully awkward silence that enfolded them. He was staring between the slats of the wooden hot springs; no doubt it was the women's side. That was a choice stakeout spot for his renowned hobby. Being a peeping tom, insisting he was doing research. Finally, after an agonizing silence, the toad sage broke the silence.

In one swift movement he had turned around to face her. She stared on in horror. Was he going to yell at her?

"It's Jiriya. Sennin-sama to _you_"

He suppressed a giggle, even though being the "responsible" adult that he was, he could not. She smiled hesitantly, and gave a small laugh trying to break the feeling of her embarrassment. He leaned in closer to her. Almost too close for her comfort.

"Well what are you up to?"

the sannin posed the question to her. She gulped, regaining her stature and lifted up the box, gesturing to its contents with an audible shake from within.

"These are anko dumplings for the Nara family."

She stated to the sannin. He chuckled, licking his lips, and his hand ever so slightly inched toward the beautifully decorated box that Sakura held in her hands. At once she saw his movement toward her delivery and with a whoosh sound, appeared 5 feet away from the sannin. She held them protectively close to her chest.

"These aren't yours _Ero-Sennin" _She mocked.

She held out her hand, palm up in front of the sennin's openmouthed stare of disbelieve.

"That's right, if you want these delicious anko, then your going to have to pay and then I can get you another batch some other time." She sated loftily, enjoying the fact that that was exactly what he did _not_ want to do.

He slumped down, his gaze downcast; wallowing in the fact that he pretty much had no money to his name. He usually tricked Naruto out of giving him tons of cash, which he faithfully used up on his research of the ladies. Then, regaining his composure he brushed of his kimono, and took one step closer.

"Well Sakura, as you and I both know very clearly, I posses no cash at the moment. I could ask for an alternative though..." he uttered.

He was smiling, and his eyebrows were raised. He leaned against the hot springs in what he supposedly thought was a casual lean. Sakura's eyes widened. She did not like where this was going.

_'Is he seriously gonna say what I think he's gonna say?_' she asked herself.

"I suppose I could use you for my delicious research, in exchange for that-"

he licked his lips again and stared down at the box once again, and then his eyes roved upward to Sakura's chest beneath her dress. '

Oh god, he _did_!' she exclaimed in her mind.

She brought the box up, folded it over her chest, as she noticed where his eyes had strayed.

"-delicious anko?" the sennin ended with a harried smile.

Anger boiled inside of her, and her inner self began to rant and rage about the habits of filthy men. She became calm despite the fact that she was on the verge of being harassed by a famous, legendary _Sennin._ Daintily, her hands brought the box down. She rolled up her right sleeve with her left hand and brought back her arm in a clenched fist. She brought her punch into Jiriya's dazed face with a powerful smack. She then stood huffing, proud. She turned her nose up, picking up the anko box, and before walking off she said:

"You do realize that I am fifteen and you are nearly _over fifty_?" she exclaimed as her dress snapped in the wind.

He tried to get up and say more but he could only see the back of her, disappearing off the bridge by the creek and into a deserted street.

Getting over the initial shock of being punched right in the face by his pupil's love interest, he yelled after Sakura:

"Yeah, well, if I were you I'd get with a guy sooner or later-"he paused lowering his voice to a growl

"-even if its not me-"

then he raised his voice again:

"and stop dreaming about that over emotional, looser of an avenger: SASUKE!"

Jiriya sat on his backside, uncomfortably on the stones laid into the ground by the hot springs. After regaining his balance he stood up, biting his thumb and exposing a pinprick of blood, and the uttered in his voice sure and full of confidence:

"Summoning Technique: _Kyuichose No Jutsu!" _

In a flash he vanished, on the back of one of his toads. He was probably going to go off and mess with some more girls in a bar, until he got kicked out when they found out he had no money.Yep. It sounded like a pretty routine deal to him, and that's the way he liked it.

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**So...Reviews** **would be noice** **maybe I'll add things later if anyone has any comments or ideas for later things. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Woot woot. the slightly awaited chapter two! Now, I'm sorry guys but its kind of _really_ short. I'm uploading the third chapter which is much longer. Thanks to those who have reviewed my first chapter. Keep 'em coming! To tell you the truth, I have almost eight chapters that are writen down, so after i get them up I might need more ideas on how to expand my epic romance. **

_Sakura LOVE shadow:_ **Don't worry you will find out how Gaara and Sakura are going to meet.**

_angelfox13:_ **The Temari idea sounds good but i already have a way they are meeting set up thanks for your support.**

**xx Oh and some of you may find this part of the fic strange, but remember this is all to get Sakura jealous and lonely.**

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**Chapter two: What age diffrence?**

Sakura shuddered. That damn sannin had mentioned Sasuke. She couldn't help but feel her legs go weak with the mere mention of her crushes name. Her eyes glazed over and she felt fluttery inside. Sakura's mind was elsewhere as she continued to walk down the deserted streets toward the Nara's house.

'_Oh Sasuke… he's so cool. But he had to go off on that stupid mission to Orochimaru…__maybe he just doesn't like me…'_ she thought with regret.

Her lip trembled. She had been chasing him with no apparent luck for the past…well…she couldn't exactly count them at the moment, but… she knew it had been a long time. She could picture the teen perfectly. He had dark eyes and equally dark and spiky black hair to match his coolness and his darkly haunting past. He usually wore a black shirt with a red and white icon on the back which symbolized the Uchiha crest. It looked like a fan, or maybe even a Poke ball. She would never know. She could also picture the white pants that he wore very clearly. They concealed his err… (Cough cough)…get back on topic! Right, so he also had blue sandals, but no forehead protector because Naruto had taken it in their battle. She sighed heavily.

'_C'mon Girl, stop looking like you have hearts in you eyes! Just get these anko to Nara Shikamaru and then you can go home!_' she had to keep reminding herself.

As she was walking, she looked over to her left and saw a strange sight. Aburame Shino was eating barbeque with his instructor: Kurenai. Shino had his strange coat on, that almost obscured his face. It hid his short brown hair, small and spiky. The rest of him was covered by black pants and his blue sandals. His ankles were wrapped in bandages. It was bizarre because it looked like he was actually flirting with her. Was that a glint of playfulness she saw hinted in his dark glasses that the Aburame clan wore? Kurenai seemed not to care that it seemed strange. She didn't seem to care either: that he was fifteen and that there was a _fifteen_ year difference between them, but she guessed that Shino was finally getting what he had wanted since he was twelve. That had been three years ago when he was learning under her lighthearted instructions. She looked over to Kurenai. She was wearing a white and black dress that clung to her body. Netting and red sleeves covered her arms. The rest of her long legs were bare. Kurenai shook her entire body with the way she was laughing. You would have thought she was nineteen. Sakura thought about it, and thought that Shino must have liked that. That scared, repulsed, and confused her, and yet it intrigued her. It brought an interesting thought to her mind.

'Hatake Kakashi-sensei is _even younger_ then Kurenai…maybe he would…I mean you _never know_…' But she rolled her eyes at the new feelings welling up inside her.

She shook her head. "That would be so _weird." _She gasped.

She decided to leave the Genin and the Jounin to their fun. Quickening her pace, at the shock with what she had witnessed, and the equally shocking feeling which had overwhelmed her about Kakashi she power-walked past that restaurant. She was eager to get away from the disturbing and slightly wrong scene that she felt she had waltzed upon unexpectedly.

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**So...Reviews** **would be noice**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok guys. So yay. The third chapter. I know you're getting antsy wanting to know when Sakura meets up with Gaara, but this is a whole plot/storyline buildup. I had to create tension and anticipation, (and I think I'm getting it from some people) but these encounters, and more will drive her miserable! That's why I'm doing it. **

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**Chapter 3: A.K.A Fang and sunny place**

Turning a street corner, she heard an excited and loud howl coming from a side alley that was less then a block from where she was at the moment. With hastened footsteps she sprinted toward the sound. A swift movement as she continued on brought out her kunai from the confines of the holster on her lower leg. Sakura's face was screwed up in determination and concentration. She feared the worst was happening right now to one of the Konoha villagers and that it was up to her to go save them. She had to admit, it was a first that she would be the heroin, that would save someone, but there was a first for everything right? This was just one of those unbelievable moments that had come upon her.

Skidding around another corner with the fierceness of her running, she saw she was near where the alley met the ending wall.

"Just one more corner to skirt…" she whispered, her breath heavy with the exertion.

Then a thought hit her. It was strange that no one else other then she, was jumping to action besides her, despite the insistent howling noise. Her cherry-blossom-pink hair was caught in the wind that swirled around her. She tried to tie the Konoha forehead protector around her brow just so she would be ready to face the attack that was sure to come. Finally. The last corner was here and she leaped into the open space where the wall and alley met. Her footsteps echoed off of the stone walls, intermingled with the harsh howling that sounded like the beast was enjoying its prey. Sakura lifted her gaze from her kunai that she held in front of her body. What a bad mistake. Her jaw dropped. There, pressed against the partition, was none other then Hyuga Hinita. She was being passionately kissed by the dark haired Inuzuka Kiba. They had been locked in a fierce make out session, and just at the moment that saving-the-day-Sakura had showed up, he cut off his next howl of pleasure with a startled yowl of protest. So he had been the one that was making the noise. Hinita, who had had her eyes closed all this time, opened them, wondering why her fun had abruptly ended. A scowl was plastered across her face, with her violet eyes matching its intensity. As soon as she saw past Kiba, who had his arms around her shoulders and chest, she dropped her hands, untangling them from his spiked up brown hair. Apparently this was just_another_one of those unbelievable moments that had come upon her.

The silence was shattered with the resounding sound of her kunai falling from her grasp in amazement. One thing crossed her mind as the three faced off.

'_Hinita and Kiba?'_

Her gaze roved around the small enclosure that these two had found, and that she had stumbled upon. They both looked disappointed. Hinita looked even angrier then Kiba and that disturbed her. Thankfully, the Hyuga had lost that awkward shyness that she could never get rid of years ago, and now she was confident in her actions. Kiba growled, and he shifted his black jacket back onto him

'_They must have been getting pretty intense.' _She thought with a glance back at the alley. Was Kiba going to drive her off?

He stepped forward.

"Hey, hey, Sakura-Chan, what the hell are you doing here with that kunai?" he said eyeing the weapon with contempt, almost reaching for his own.

Thankfully, the ninja had better judgment and left it safe in its holster. Well, his question was honest enough; she might as well answer honestly enough. With a defiant smile she started talking.

"You see Kiba-kun, I was walking by-" she shuddered at the thought of mentioning it. "-Kurenai, and Shino…eating… and I heard a howl. I assumed that it was someone from another village that was harassing a ninja from Konoha so my first reaction was to go and help whoever was in trouble." She ended with an exasperated sigh.

"Though now I know that no one was in trouble, and I am really sorry Kiba-kun and Hinita."

They both looked at her. Hinita stared accusingly at Sakura. God she whished that she would say _something_. Was Hinita thinking that Sakura would try to "steal" Kiba from her? Sakura's mind roved. That could be a reason for her openly accusing stares. She wouldn't blame her. Sakura knew that the purple haired girl had loved Naruto with a passion, and when she couldn't have him due to her lack of confidence, she went for the next best thing: the five foot hunk.

Sakura stared them both down, really getting a good look at the pair. Kiba had grown taller, and his hair was wilder, slanting over his forehead protector at one side. She admitted to herself (regrettably) that that made him look quite attractive. His arms were more muscular, his legs the same. He was wearing different clothes too: a black shirt and shorts that complemented his physique. He had a quirky smile that accentuated his defined face. His luscious brown eyes looked depthless, at least from where she was standing. Hinita: well, she had defiantly hit puberty by the way she curved. She had a violet skirt on that showed her lower, feminine thighs. She wore a soft looking, violet and tan jacket. Her hair was longer and flowing in the breeze. Hinita's shining violet pupil less eyes stood out as well.

They were diffidently different, she decided. Kiba was getting fidgetity, she saw, and his hand was trying to find Hinita's. The Hyuga grasped his with her own, surprisingly she had no trace of hesitation on her face. Kiba gave a slight cough.

"We better be heading home, I can understand how you thought that I was a predator, considering the-" he paused in embarrassment. "-errrm...way I was howling when I was with Hinita." his voice cracked at that moment.

She couldn't tell if it was one of those teen guy things, or that he was sincerely embarrassed. Not wanting to go into any more detail, he stopped talking. Sakura was fine by that. She would rather not hear any detail at all from the wolf-like teen. Kiba blushed when Hinita laughed and stroked his hair. With his free hand, he whistled, a shrill sound, building up until the decibels were far too high for Sakura or Hinita to hear them. She could tell by the way that Kiba covered his ear with his hand, that he could hear the sound even at its current level, and that he didn't exactly favor it. It could have only been a second after he stopped, when all three of the ninja turned toward the rooftops. A white furred beast-of-a-dog jumped down from the wall and landed right in front of the pair, blocking Sakura from them.

"Hey Akamaru!" Kiba said cheerfully.

He gently stroked the dog's ears in playful greeting. In answer, the dog barked. Sakura could feel the sound shake beneath her. It vibrated with such force that it was all she could do to not loose her balance. Hinita and Kiba had not budged. Obviously, Sakura noted, with a smirk, Hinita was perfectly used to the loud bark. That told her enough, how familiar Hinita was with Kiba and Akamaru. Her emotions turned to a budding jealousy as Kiba straddled Akamaru, pulling Hinita up after him. She placed her arms around his waist for support, curiously lower then Sakura thought she would have. They looked at each other. Kiba sensed what was hidden in her pupil less eyes, the way they were looking at him suggestively.

With a knowing smile, he breathed: "let's go to my house" adding a wink to her.

With a flash of white fur, the trio was gone from her sight. Sakura looked up at the sky where they had disappeared. She held out her pinky (a sign that they were lovers) and said mockingly:

"Hinita, I hope you enjoy your boyfriend!" she grumbled, walking away.

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**So… yeah… reviews would be noice!!**


	4. Chapters 4 and 5

**Hey everyone. Hope you like these combo-licious chapters!**

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****Chapter 4: Another detour**

She was moving along hoping that the Nara's didn't think she was too late, when she stepped on a chip with an audible:

CRUNCH.

The next thing she knew, a pair of large arms had grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her over to a bench. The first thing she noticed was that it was Akimichi Chouji. He was still very corpulent. Chouji's hair was finally out of the stupid green cap he had always worn. A red shirt and pants followed, with braces padding on his forearms and shins. He looked the happy image of his father. He started yelling at her saying things like:

"You should watch where you're _going_ Sakura, or: that was _my_ chip Sakura." she rolled her eyes.

_'Typical of him to only care this much about food.'_ she thought.

Acting like she had been paying attention all along, she quickly said she was sorry. Satisfied, he opened up another bag of chips and crunched hungrily. The second thing that Sakura noticed was that there was someone attached to Chouji's arm. Ino stepped into view from behind the bulk of her teammate. She looked as prissy as ever in her purple cutoff shirt. It tied around her neck exposing her shoulders and arms. Her hair was tied back and flowed down the back of her head. Her blue eyes commanded attention and her short purple skirt held it. Blue sandals covered her feet.

She smirked at Sakura, thinking she must have been the luckiest girl in all of Konoha.

"Ino-Pig! What are you doing with _chouji?" _she asked, trying to make her voice noncommittal as possible.

Ino smiled and said: "Billboard Brow-" Sakura lowered her forehead protector over her forehead self consciously. "-Didn't you know that Chouji and I are going out?"

Sakura was dumbfounded. '_Apparently Chouji is capable of caring about one more fatty thing.'_ she thought, referring to Ino.

She had been so sure all her life that she would have dated _anyone_, even if it wasn't Sasuke, before Ino! Chouji burped.

"Let's go to the park Ino-Chan." he demanded in a none-too-subtle way.

Ino nodded her head, turning away from Sakura. As she was leaving with Chouji she said:

"Sakura, if I were you I'd get a boyfriend soon. Do you want to be the only lonely prude in Konoha?"She voiced with a mock sincerity.

All Sakura could hear was the dying laughter of both of them as she slumped to the ground. She felt anger well up inside her. Is that what everyone thought of her? Everyone seemed to be dating, and she was the only one left out. She was just about to smash the anko box in an attempt to vent her anger when she heard the faintest rustling in the tree above her head and by the bench. Then there was a slight whisper and a soft sliding sound as if many tiny things were moving as one. She saw a glimpse of bright red hair that was spiked up. She blinked her eyes, wondering if she had imagined what she had just seen in the tree, but it was gone. With a small laugh to comfort herself, she asked in her mind.

"Who do I know that has red hair like that?" Then her eyes went wide with fear as she clutched the box.

"Sabaku No Gaara."

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**Chapter 5 the springtime of Youth!**

Thoroughly scared, Sakura got up and walked off _yet again_. All these detours were costing her precious time. Still frightened, she walked by the entrance to the Hyuuga Clan's main house. The huge gate had been opened up to the courtyard, letting in a spring breeze. She was thinking that they could help her find out why Gaara had been in the tree outside their house watching them, so she walked freely into the courtyard. Sakura heard faint giggling and saw a sight that rivaled the one she had seen earlier. Rock Lee [also known as the green beast, was doing pushups. That wasn't even out of the ordinary, considering that he always did them anyway. What really amazed her was that sitting on top of his back, was Hyuuga Neji. Neji sat cross legged and was cradling TenTen in his arms stroking her hair. She smiled and brought her lips to his. They moved with the up and down beat from being on top of Lee's back. Lee must have been holding both of their weight for a extremely long while, because he finally had to collapse after reciting:

"five thousand!"

he puffed and breathed deeply, while in one quick motion Neji swept TenTen up in his grasp and they were both standing upright on top of the roof. Lee had that always determined smile, and it was goofy. He had very large eyebrows that disappeared into his lame looking bowl haircut. His tight green jumpsuit clung to his muscles. They contrasted with his orange leg weights.

Sakura waved up to them to try to gain their attention. They ignored her. Lee was just saying that it was his turn to relax with TenTen, when Sakura, with an annoyed huff, jumped onto the roof with a series of jumps.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked incredulously.

Lee was shocked and embarrassed. Before he could speak, Neji answered.

"We are only having fun."

Lee pushed him out of Sakura's way and exclaimed.

"No! We are enjoying the joys of the springtime of youth!" he brought his fist up in a heroic pose. Sakura looked at him with a bland expression. He looked hilarious.

"Yeah, sure right guys, whatever you say." Sakura laughed. "I was just wondering if you guys knew if the Suna village ninja were here?"

Sakura could feel the stares of TenTen: the other kunoichi that was present. Neji and Lee exchanged glances. Lee spoke up in front of Neji this time.

"Why is Sakura-Chan asking about the demonic Suna-ninja?" his eyes betrayed a hauntingnes that she knew she could fully explain.

He was thinking of the time that Gaara had broken both his left arm and leg in combat during the Chunin exam.

"You might think that I'm crazy but I think I actually saw Gaara in the tree just outside your wall, Neji" she turned her stare over to the Hyuuga.

Lee glanced at Sakura hesitantly, she didn't notice but his gaze wavered on her left ankle. As soon as he sighted her ankle, he swiftly brought his eyes back to Sakura's, rigidly alert and on edge. Neji tried to calm Sakura down, but TenTen got to her first. She brought her arm around Sakura's shoulders and jumped with her off of the roof, a distance away from the ninjas. Sakura looked at her. She had a stupid: I'm-so-great and you-really-aren't-smile on her face. Her brown hair, in two tight buns gave her a panda look. The fact that she wore a white and red kimono only intensified the pandaness.

"Listen..." she said soothingly. "I know you're scared because you thought that freak Gaara was watching you, but don't you think your just imagining what you can't have?"

Sakura looked perplexed.

"What I can't have..." she pondered then understood what she was talking about.

"Y-you mean... him?" she smiled wearily.

"As in Gaara?" she tried to clarify what the other girl was saying.

TenTen nodded happily. "Yeah, you just are imagining guys that aren't yah know…there, so they can comfort you. You must have realized by now that you're the only one in our age level who hasn't gotten a lover yet haven't you?" she exclaimed.

"I understand you want to be experienced like me. Believe me, I'm flattered" she praised herself immodestly. "You must be jealous because Neji and Lee are both competing for me. I mean, when you're a kawaii kunoichi with an artillery to rival the ANBU and FBI, then you get _special things."_

She winked. "I guess its cause I'm so caring: like the time I gave Lee flowers and visited him when he was injured in the hospital." She said with her annoying sympathy.

Sakura flinched. _She_ had been the one to visit Lee _everyday _during the Chunin exam, never seeing TenTen.

'_Why did Lee choose TenTen over me? Is it because her hair makes her look like a baka panda?_' she wondered.

"Face it Sakura" she exclaimed "You'll never get a guy because you have no jutsu. You can't do anything. You're just a hindrance, and you know what? You really _are _annoying." She scoffed.

Sakura couldn't take it anymore. She pulled out a shuriken with a scream of effort. TenTen likewise unfurled a scroll.

"That will be no match for what's hidden in here" she smirked placing her thumb on the paper. Sakura didn't care. She just wanted to hurt this kunoichi.

"You Bitch!" she yowled, with fury written in her eyes. Neji and Lee, hearing the sparks litterly flying between them, ran over, separating a girl each to themselves.

"This is about Gaara isn't it?" Neji spoke forcefully, assuming totally wrong.

He had a stern face, with his white puplil-less eyes identical to his cousin's: Hinita. His hair hung in two separate strands on either side of his face. They were parted by his forehead protector, and presumably under that was his branch-family mark that all lower Hyuuga's received at birth.

"Sakura look, I'll use my Kekkei Genkai to show you that Sabaku no Gaara really isn't there." He said exasperatedly.

Even though he sounded forceful, he was hiding his inner fear. Before she could protest he had preformed the hand seals.

**"**Byakugan!"

His white eyes scanned the wall, and up it towards the tree trunk, and all the way up to the highest leaves. There were chakra traces just as he suspected there would be, but Sakura didn't have to know that...

"He is nowhere to be seen." He said shakily.

While they had been watching the Hyuuga, Lee had whispered to TenTen about the presence surrounding Sakura. Lee started taking TenTen to the back of the main house, a green-clad arm protectively around her.

"Were going to bed-I-mean…uhh the going to… the banzi garden, yeah that's it… I've been practicing _long_ and its _hard now_, so I might be exhausted soon." Lee said, trying to sound convincing yet not succeeding in the least.

TenTen giggled. She understood what Lee was implying. He finally had the girl while Neji was being distracted. Neji faced the pink-haired-girl with a scowl and fear clearly being half concealed.

"I'm sorry Sakura-Chan but you must leave."

He paused for less then a second.

"Now." He added firmly.

Sakura, feeling like they weren't telling her something other then that Lee was waiting to get TenTen by herself, walked out of the gateway. It was immediately shut behind her, almost on the back of her dress. The Nara's house was next door. Thankfully.

It was getting late, and she was glad that her destination was finally in reach. But the events that had unfolded just then didn't make complete sense. Why had Neji and Lee gone all quiet and jumpy around her? It didn't seem like them to completely ward her off. Was it because she had mentioned Gaara? No. She knew Lee forgave the Suna-nin. Did it have something to do with the fact (as everyone continued to remind her) that she had no boyfriend? Possible. She would think about that later. But why Had Lee told her that he was tired? Lee never got tired. Well, he never showed it at least. She swore that that boy would work until his arms broke, which actually, that had happened once. He had also mentioned that **"**_its hard now" _what the hell was that supposed to mean? She took a moment to stop and think, racking her brain. Her eyes grew wide, realizing what he had been referring to.

"That effing pervert, I didnt know that he acted that way!" she huffed. "I'm glad that green geek isn't my boyfriend." Why did people care so much if she had a boyfriend or not? It wasn't like she had a disease or anything… TenTen and Ino thought so. She was on the verge of crying.

"_You have no _jutsu_. You can't do _anything_. You're just a _hindrance_."_

The words played over and over in her mind. That's what her team had said when she had failed to act in times of danger.

"Why am I so useless?" she exclaimed, her eyes releasing salty tears.

A questioning voice called out to her breaking her sorrow.

"What is this? Sakura-Chan? What's wrong?" it was a male voice.

A hand was placed upon her shoulder, comforting and warm. She quickly tried to wipe her tears away as to not be embarrassed, and faced the owner of the hand. She turned around in his grasp. It was Nara Shikamaru!

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**So...reviews would be extremly noice, if I could just get more. heh heh heh. **

**I'll tell you what.**

**If I get 10 reviews that dont have the words **_**"when are Sakura and Gaara going to meet"**_** then I might just upload all the rest of the chapters that I have on the comp.**

**Think about that people. You can give me constructive criticism, or laugh at somthing I wrote: or even be slightly weirded out.**


	5. Chapter 6

**Woot. Finnaly chapter six! This is were the real secrets are answered, and disturbing facts are named. Can Sakura handel the truth? she has no choice. **

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**Chapter 6: A Binding secret**

Shikamaru looked down at the girl in his arms. Sakura had known and grew up with Shikamaru, and she had never expected she would turn up on his doorstep crying. She guessed that he thought it was pretty serious.

'_Was it really one of those times?'_ She asked herself.

She remembered that in her arms, she still held the box of anko. Regaining her composure as she was walked into his house, she held up the box to him.

"I brought the anko that your family requested." she dipped her head, smiling. He returned a smile and lifted the box from her fingers.

"Thank you, they must be quite good." he commented. Then looking outside and seeing the darkening sky, he said: "you must have been out all day. What a drag." he scratched his neck and gestured awkwardly for her to go sit on the tatami mat in their sitting room.

She took the place graciously; glad that she could finally rest with out someone pushing her around or saying something about her current lifestyle. He joined her at the table and sat quietly. She glanced at him. He wore his chunin flat jacket with black pants and a green shirt underneath his jacket. He had gotten so much taller then her over the years, that even sitting down he towered over her. His hair was dark and was tied up in a small tail, its blackness reflecting the dying light. She wondered what he would like with it down, and smiled intrigued by the thought. He had two earrings, which gave him a cool, bad boy appearance. She noticed and smiled yet again

Sakura heard light footsteps up on the second floor; it sounded like they were heading toward the room they were currently in.

"are your parents home?" Sakura mused hesitantly.

It felt awkward being in a chunin's house without the parents being there, especially since Shikamaru was a _guy._ He rolled his eyes, looking bored.

"No" he said matter-of-factly.

She thought for a moment, confused. "Then-" she started to ask who was coming into the room, but her question was answered before her eyes.

Hands snaked around Shikamaru until theywere draped around his neck. There was purple fingernail polish on the nails. The girl had a white top on that accentuated her body. It fell to her knees, and was divided by a red sash through the middle. Fish netting covered her legs, and disappeared behind the almost shin-high leather boots she wore. Her blonde hair was tied up into two messy buns and they weren't at all similar to the panda-like ones that Tenten had. She had piercing, ice blue eyes. Her face also fit her eighteen year-old self perfectly, because she had a stare that told you if you got in her way, she'd mean business. Sakura stared at the girl as she identified her.

"Temari what are you doing here?" she asked incredulously.

"Well…" she started off but was cut off by Sakura.

"Your going out with Shikamaru, is my guess." She blurted out, annoyed.

It wouldn't surprise her, what with the sights she had seen today. Temari feigned shock. "Oh my goodness Sakura-"she said looking at her, and then turned. "-is almost as smart as you Shika!" Sakura's blood boiled. She hated how Temari had turned her praise into praising the chunin in front of her. Temari laughed again, as she held Shikamaru's arms in hers.

"I know, pretty hard to believe isn't it? But he finally asked me out last year after we met back up with you Konoha ninjas. He took so much time though." she mused "But I love the way he acts when no ones around." Shikamaru's ears stared turning an embarrassed shade of red and he decided to halt the conversation between the girls.

"Hey hey, girls why don't we get on to another subject?" he proposed.

Temari proceeded to slither down the length of his back and come to a sitting position, clinging to his shoulders and half on top of him. He moved his arms gently and led her right next to him on the tatami mat, into a more graceful position then what she wanted.

"Not right now..." he whispered, urgently.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, forgot the whiny girl hasn't ever been around stuff like that." she said with disgust. Shika just groaned outwardly.

"Well Sakura-Chan" he said in his unusually calm voice. "What brought you here crying? Besides the fact that you had to visit my house." he added with a grin.

Her eyes grew wide. "It's a long story..." she tried to persuade him that she really didnt want to tell it in all its awkwardness.

He brought his hands onto the table and slid them forward, looking cool. "We have a while." he said forcefully.

Clearly he would not be swayed that easily. So with a heavy sigh she retold the accumulations of the day, traveling through all of the slightly odd couples that littered the streets, touching on the encounter with the Hyuuga and his team, and finally the moment that he had found her, crying out in the street by his doorstep. She tried to recall all the dialogue that she could remember and it seemed to suffice.

Sakura had failed to mention the incident with Gaara. It might arouse suspicion from his sister who was listening intently to the story, laughing at the pairings that had sprouted up while she had been in the Suna Village.

"Too bad that Sasuke-Kun isn't here." Temari joked. "You wouldn't have had a chance with him, but it would have been delightful to watch you struggle, like you always have." Her eyes lit up with malice.

Sakura set her eyes to determined blue slits, which were trying their best to burn countless holes into the Kunoichi. She was just toying with her emotions for the _fun_ of it. The pink-haired girl would have loved to leap over the square table dividing them and rip her hair out, but she decided against it. The Suna-ninja was older and she knew more jutsu then she would ever dream of (taking into the fact that she really knew none) Besides, Shikamaru would have stopped her in an instant, if Temari's fan hadn't stopped her first. The black haired Chunin stared between the girls and after much deliberate thought, finally said:

"Sakura-Chan, since your story has only strengthened the fact that you have no…significant other-"

Sakura's eyes lit up and she clenched her teeth.

With a halting intake of breath and a gulp, The guy hastily added: "n-Not that you need one…"he continued, either trying to save her the pain of breaking down into tears, or just saving his own health from the angered Genin, said: "- I think that you should go home. The anko will be great, and I'm sorry that I cannot help you further." He ended, composing himself once more.

Sakura bowed and smiled. She would be happy to leave the two of them. They were probably just itching to get it on, she could tell by the rather suggestive looks that they were exchanging. Temari's hand disappeared beneath the table, and Shikamaru smiled in reply. She could only imagine what was going on below her line of sight. Wait, did she even want to know? No. she didn't. That was just plain wrong, and it was their damn business wherever they touched each other. She tore her eyes away from the table. Yeah, she definitely wanted to get the hell out of there, before it got too hot. She stood up to leave, and the two Chunin, remembering that there was someone else there, reluctantly followed suit.

She had walked the distance from the table to the front door and had it halfway open when Temari grew stiff and silent.

"You left something out." She choked out, perfectly assured that she was right. Shikamaru, noticing the same thing as well, caught his breath and stood stock still. Temari was looking at her in a strange way, a haunted all-too-familiar look on her face.

"You left something out in your story." She repeated.

Sakura's first thought was: 'How the hell did she know that I never talked about Gaara?' and her second thought was one of reconization. 'That's the same look that Neji and Lee gave me!'

Her feelings turned to dread as she tried to remain calm. If she acted cool, she could probably weedle and explanation, as to what was so fascinatingly scary about her out of them. Temari ran up to her and held both her arms in a death grip. Her face looked stern, and searching. She was clearly scared.

"Did you see him?" she demanded.

Sakura kept quiet.

Shikamaru stepped closer, examining both girls. Temari shook her violently.

"I said did you see him or not!?" she was practically shrieking.

'So she _was_ talking about Gaara.' Sakura took a mental note.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She tried to seem indifferent.

Temari's expression did not lessen, but her grip tightened.

"The hell you don't." The Chunin-** Kunoichi** shot back at her.

Sakura bit her lip. She had to find out what was happening. With all thoughts lost of being as silent and impassive as an ANBU black op, she cried:

"He was in a tree by the Hyuuga's main house. I only saw him for a second. When I went to go tell Neji that I thought I had seen him, he didn't believe me, but used his Byakugan to make sure. He said that no one had been there, and I got scared!" She finally spluttered out, her sentences running together in hysteria. She had admitted defeat, and her head hung.

"How did you know I had seen Gaara?" she countered, suddenly weary of the female Chunin.

Shikamaru and Temari both looked surprised and taken aback. It looked like she had obviously missed something. "You mean…you…didn't realize yet?" Shikamaru interrupted the silence.

Disbelief laced his careful words. Sakura shook her head.

"Didn't realize _what_?" she voiced exasperatedly. She was getting mad. Why didn't they just tell her? Temari was the one to break the silence, after a seconds thought, she said with dread:

"There's a sand-shackle on your left ankle." Her words were strangely calm, and that left Sakura speechless.

Sakura balked. She looked down feverishly. Sure enough there was a swirling mass of sand in the likeness of a slim shackle, about a half inch away from her delicate skin. How did she not know that there was a bunch of sand gravitating around her leg? Her head shot up and stared at the two. They looked doubtful.

"Tell me everything." She said in a voice that brought a hint of certain death to anyone that did not comply with her demands immediately, and to her satisfaction.

The eighteen-year-old sighed. "The _Suna_**_ baindingu _**_No Jutsu_was Kinjutsu that was forbidden years ago by our Kazekage. I hadn't realized that Gaara could have found it out. He probably learned it from that bastard demon inside of him, the Shukaku." she said with venom.

Noticing that Sakura had to be reassured somehow of how this related, she continued on. "Gaara's the one who cast the jutsu. He was probably sulking in that tree of yours that you described, and preformed the hand seals. Once it was finished, he vanished like the creepy stealth ninja that he is."

Sakura still stood as a statue would. "Go on…" The Konoha ninja influenced her. Temari gave her a arrogant look, but continued to explain.

"You see,_ Suna Baindingu No Jutsu _(sand binding technique)was used as a torturous device. Mostly males used it, and most of them were either crazy, lonely, or molesters. Can you guess which category Gaara falls in?" she asked the girl.

Sakura couldn't decide so she shook her head.

"Yeah, the choices are too similar, so we couldn't decide either." Then she continued on describing the device that had enfolded Sakura: "They would use the jutsu, when the 'prey' wasn't looking. The 'prey' was almost always, females. You can see where I'm going with this, yes?" she asked the Kunoichi. Sakura nodded, picturing poor females being taken advantage of by sex-crazed ninja in the cover of nightfall, in darkened alleys. She could practically hear the screams they uttered as the sand choked their ankles.

"This sand jutsu takes a hold of the person, in the form of a circular, smooth, formation of sand and is compressed to a moving mass that cannot be moved or broken. It resembles a shackle, and is sometimes referred to as a 'sandcuff' by the more "humorous" ninja out there" she rolled her eyes.

"This sand pretty much stays lodged around your ankle. But that's only the first one…" she said with a certain doom lacing her evil words.

Sakura's eyes went wild with terror. How could there be more? Wasn't _one_ enough? How could someone as heartless as a ninja do this to sometimes helpless kunoichi, to even _her?_ Her mind went back to the image where she had seen the red spikes of hair, glimpsed a black shaded eye, and heard the ripple of many tiny things moving in union. That had been the sand that was gliding toward her. He had just cast the jutsu, and had fled. She had sat there ridiculously happy, and hadn't noticed. Lee, Neji, and Tenten had although. They had tried to be discreet, and had forced her out of their presence. She hadn't put two and two together.

"Does anyone else know about this?" she questioned. "Neji and Lee seemed to know something was up when they drove me away…" she said feebly.

Shikamaru spoke up. "I think that they were trying to protect you from Gaara. They knew that he wields sand, and when they saw the cuff around your ankle, tried to react as best they could with the situation. It's not what I would have done, but hey, they didn't run screaming like girls that 'Gaara was out to kill you' or anything. They decided to keep you ignorant, hoping that you would be safe until at least nightfall." His words sunk in.

That seemed slightly ok… she just wondered if they were doing that to help her, or that they were scared of the Suna-ninja. Lee had even said that he didn't favor Gaara. Was he _afraid?_ She shook her head in disbelief. She could feel tears welling up in the back of her eyes.

'_**No**__. I'm not going to cry. I can get out of this, somehow. He can't do this. I can help myself. I'll have to prove that I'm not worthless, that I'm not a-a…hindrance. I won't let Gaara, and the demon inside of him ravage my body just for their sick male pleasure. If he wants pleasure, he's just going to have to ask like any other man would.'_

She silently promised in her mind. This pact would help her, she was sure of it. It would keep her sane, and help her fight against the deathly grip that was soon to consume her. She was suddenly reminded of Naruto. Is this what he would have done? He always never went back on his word because that was his nindo. Well, for now, that would be her nindo **no matter what. **

She stared straight into Temari's eyes. There was something she had to know.

"Temari?" she prompted the older girl.

"…yes?" she replied, weary of what would come out of the captured girl's mouth next.

"Is there anyway I can fight this?" she said carefully, choosing her words like they meant her life or death. They actually were the balance of her life and death. It was on the line.

'_That's it'_ she thought.

'_If she answers how I think she's going to answer…I'll have no hope.'_

Temari spoke finally. "No. not-"

but that was all that Sakura had heard. The word "No" had triggered her fight or flight mechanism, and since there was nothing to fight at present time, she had to get out of there. She had grabbed the door and was sprinting as fast as she could to safety, anywhere. She was still in the pool of light from the doorway. Shikamaru yelled after her. Temari pulled out her gigantic fan, but Shikamaru pushed her out of the way. He preformed a series of handseals. Sakura felt her flight stop in mid-sprint. She couldn't move. What was wrong with her? Had Gaara's crazy jutsu already taken effect? She used a considerable amount of effort to turn her head and face the house she had just fled from. Shikamaru was standing there poised in the doorway. His lengthy shadow had stretched all the way out to where she was. Amazed, at the length, she gasped. He started to move his legs up and down, like he was walking, but he wasn't moving anywhere. _She _was moving! When the escapee had arrived back into the house, Shikamaru released his _Kagemane no Jutsu _(shadow binding technique) andhe locked the door behind him.

Sakura was met with a defining scream in her face as soon as she was back into the confines of the Nara's house.

"Baka!" Temari said, annoyed.

She had her arms crossed and a scowl was plastering her features. "I wasn't finished telling you how you _could_ overcome this." She seethed.

Sakura's eyes lit up. So there might be a way!

"But you had to go be a baka little girl and run off. Where were you going anyway? Gaara would have found you sooner or later, besides; you're safer in Shika's house, than out there where perverts wander the alleys."

Sakura took the yelling. She wondered when Gaara could have found her, or how fast. She was really concerned about the solution that Temari had mentioned, though. Temari finally got to it, after it had seemed like ages.

"There is only one sane way that you could have a hope of breaking though this jutsu, and that would be to give in completely. That means, comply with all his demands, however horribly twisted they might be, and after the fourth shackle appears, and his jutsu is complete, then the sand will release you."

Sakura had numerous problems with what Temari had just said. She couldn't get her thoughts out, so she blurted out yet again another question.

"Fourth?" she looked hesitant.

"There are **four?!**" she repeated in disbelief.

Temari returned a look to her. "Yes there are four in the entire jutsu cycle."

Sakura couldn't believe it. "Really?" she said again, her eyes hiding a deep discontent.

"I think that we've established that there are four shackles in all, _Sakura-Chan._" Shikamaru sighed exasperadtly. He was getting just as annoyed as the older kunoichi was. Her mind searched though her thoughts. A daunting task was ahead of her. She would have to do every single thing that Gaara said, no matter how physically maiming or self destructive, or just plain grotesque.

"What is the other way?" she said in a small voice.

Temari mulled this over and answered softly. "Suicide."

All eyes were trained on her. She suddenly felt the color drain from her, but she thought back to the pact she had made.

'I must follow my nindo. I'll do my best to make him not hurt me.'

She shut her eyes and looked up, opening them. Shikamaru placed a large hand on her shoulder. He had a comforting smile. She drew strength from this and suddenly felt slightly better.

"I won't kill myself, but I promise, he wont come close to it either." She said, confidence running through her words. "I can get through this." She said almost to herself, lifting up her leg a fraction of an inch off of the ground and gesturing toward the sand shackle.

Temari scoffed. "You might die either way" but Shikamaru elbowed her in the arm, shutting up her dangerous words.

They nodded in assent, when they realized that Sakura was looking at them hopefully. She fell quite now, sifting through all the information she had received in the last hour. She was caught in a torturous jutsu. The only way she could do anything was to comply with her perverted and insane captor (which she planned to do otherwise, or most likely, the complete and utter opposite). Lastly, she perked up at this thought, she was being noticed buy guys. Yes, it was only in the form of stalking and hunting down for sick pleasure, using a jutsu instead of emotions, but… at least it was a start. She had to take anything that was thrown at her. She felt excited and worried at the same time.

Shikamaru led her to the door and ushered her outside. He playfully ruffled his hand though her pink hair and smiled.

"Be careful Sakura-Chan, don't do anything too troublesome."

she promised she wouldn't, and with a wave of her hand, started on her way. Temari called, with a hint of caution in her voice:

"Sakura, just don't bring him here. He can get in a rage sometimes, especially when it comes to having...erm... girls around."

Her words empowered Sakura when they would have frightened any other girl. Adrenaline was pumped up double-time in her veins, and she felt a slight thrill. What would she do now? Go to her house of course. She didn't want it looking like _she_ had gone to find the trouble. The trouble would, most likely, find her.

Inside the Nara house, Temari threw herself upon Shikamaru and wrapped her arms around him. He held her in an embrace closely and tightly. Their heads moved inches closer, and closer, climaxing into a kiss. She brought her arms along his chest as he proceeded to caress her neck. Her lips unlatched from his for a moment so she could speak, and she breathed in deeply, as did he.

"i-I don't envy Sakura. He's going to make her life a living hell." she predicted.

He accepted her comment with a concerned grunt and moved his fingers down the length of her chest, and over across to her arms which where on his own. Grasping her hand, and pulling her toward the direction of outside the sitting room, he led her to the room at the end of the hallway. She was inside before him, and he followed silently, closing the door. He glanced outside to see the pink haired Genin walking away, looking almost half cheerful. He shook his head. And then he concluded, thinking about what Temari had said:

"what a drag."

But the door was closed. The lights were off, and it definitely wasn't a drag for _him._

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**So...reviews would be extremly noice**


	6. Chapter 7

**Ok guys. whos excited for some Gaaxsaku? well.. this story mentions it...and i promise the next chapter will be extremly intense Gaaxsaku. I hope you guys like this one, its pretty much a bridge to the next chap. I'll try uploading more chapters today.**

**Chapter 7 Follow you home:**

Night had ensued, enclosing all inside its velvety dark clutches. The moon was out, not yet full, but soon to be reaching the pinnacle of its cycle. Glimmers of stars dotted the heavens, and splotched inky-white color onto the houses lining the streets of Konoha. Some lamps had been lit, but very few, as to the fact that it had gotten quite late since Sakura's retelling of her day had taken so long. The girl sighed. She really didn't know if she should be scared out of her mind, or just plain defiant.

Her warring emotions fought over which would take over, fear or confidence, and finally after a short-lived battle, her mind settled onto an agreement. She was most definitely, _not_ scared out of her whit's. So, with practiced calmness, she ran forward, her arms streaming out behind her in an act of balance, and the soft. _"Tak, Tak"_ sounds of her running feet surrounded her mind. Her house was in sight, after about five more minutes of running, and she was relived. It had been a very long day, and the last thing she wanted to do was stay out later then it already was. There was a single light on in a lower room of her house.

She presumed her mother was already asleep, but maybe she was waiting for her, wondering why it had taken so long for her to make the delivery.

"I'm _never _delivering anything again." she pledged, with annoyance.

Hopefully, she'd be able to sneak past her mother and up to her room unnoticed. She smirked. Or... she could take the roof way up. She was just preparing herself for the launch on top of her house, when there was a continuous, _clak-clak-clak-clak-clak-claking _sound. It was coming toward her: and moving fast. With lightning reflexes she shot into the air, but something caught her and fastened its hard wooden arms around her.

Four arms that were rough, tightened their forceful grip, and cut into her ribs and shoulder blades, one was pressing against her chest. The _clak-clak-claking _sound had only intensified, and she realized, with a glimpse that it was a wooden puppet with three eyes. Before she knew it, the captive girl was on the ground, and was being wrapped up with chakra strings by the puppet. She heard a laugh and a muffled grunt as a male voice congratulated his puppet, which he had said was called "Karasu".

She could not get a decent look of the real human behind her, because he, whoever _he_ was, had pulled her forehead protector over her eyes. Bound, she could not do anything but struggle futilely against the chakra. She was lifted up by the four wooden arms, and Karasu and his puppeteer carried her away to a less conspicuous location, about a block away, and on the fringe of the forest. She smelled Ichiraku's ramen shop. Hoping this could be her chance for escape, she tried to scream out, but a potent line of blue chakra dug into the sides of her mouth like a gag, making it next to impossible to scream, let alone breathe. After what seemed like hours, she finally was relived of her eye covering. The first thing she saw when she blinked her eyes open was her captor. It was: she identified with a gasp, the eldest male Suna-ninja: Kankuro. He had a Black cloak on, which peaked in two horn-like points on either side of the top of his head. He had purple face paint on which was in an interesting design around his face. His brown hair was hidden under his dark hood. And that is all she could see. He spoke up, in a none-too-quiet voice.

"Hello Sakura. Funny meeting you out on the streets at this hour isn't it?" he chuckled with implied malice.

She just stayed still, resting against the puppet as she was, and gave him a cold hard, stare. His eyes lit up.

"I can see that your particularly feisty tonight Sakura" his voice oozing desire. "That'll be all the better when you become mine." he whispered darkly.

She attempted to show no emotion even in the face of this incredible health-related danger. Her designated emotion was defiance right? She would stick to it, no matter how hard it was. With a wild smile he began untying the chakra binds that had held her. They were getting looser and looser by the second. If she could reach her kunai in time she would be set. The feeling in her arms came back, and she let out a compressed breath of air as her mouth was released. He grabbed her roughly as the chakra strings fell to the ground, and were wound back up around his holster.

This was her chance, her hand fell to her leg pouch and reappeared an instant later filled. Kunai in hand, she glanced at her captor sweetly.

"You would never want to harm me in _that_ way now would you?" she breathed, emphasizing the word "that" to a degree.

His anger at her escape quickly turned to surprise, and then a hidden desire. His snort of derision was enough to answer her seemingly-harmless banter. But right then, he lunged at her, arms outstretched.

"Whatever it takes Sakura!" he shouted, words slurred.

She sidestepped his limbs at just the right moment. Pulling out three shuriken's at once he smiled angrily. The metal glinted in the moonlight as the rush of the air accompanied its way toward her. She expertly deflected one with the Kunai, and there was the ringing sound of metal clashing on metal. Two more were thrown simultaneously. She blocked the first one, and whipped around to block the second but it was too fast and was immediately lodged deep into her left upper arm. A shriek of pain left her lips as blood trickled, slowly and tormentingly. Kankuro took this brief window of distraction to his advantage and quick as air, appeared by her side clutching her by her pink hair. His painted face was just inches from hers now. Kankuro gave a grin and brought his lips toward hers but she attempted to back away. He swiped his tongue over his lips and tried again.

"Get away from her. Teme." A voice growled from the shadows.

Kankuro's color drained from his face turning even the purple to a light violet.

"Gaara what are you doing here?" he said, in barely a whisper, voice trembling.

He was trying to distract the sudden intrusion, but that was never going to work, Gaara would suspect everything, and Kankuro knew it. He was dead-scared of his younger brother, only because he was possessed by the deadly Shukaku.

"Coming to claim my jutsu's catch." He answered in a menacing tone.

Kankuro's eyes went wide and he stepped away from sakura, headed over to his puppet and rushed off into the woods, suppressing a yell of terror. Gaara faced her.

"I'll deal with him later, but right now, you are rightfully mine."

She gulped, as she noticed his smile that crept across his face. Whatever he planed to do to her, she would have to endure.

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**So...Reviews would be noice... can't wait to see how you react to the next chap!!**


	7. Chapter 8

**throws chapter 8 at ravenous fans and backs away slowly**

**Ok guys: heres the begining of what you have been waiting for! Read and enjoy!!**

**and muchos thanks to Soccergrl11 for an amazing editing job.**

**...enter Chapter Eight: Gaara!! **

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**Chapter 8: Gaara **

She stared at him, and her legs seemed to go weak.

_This _is what she had to go up against? _This_ is what she had to be defiant to?

She couldn't help but check him out. He was rather tall, taller then her by about a foot or more inches. Ok, maybe he was hugely tall. A spiky covering of hair caressed his forehead, half concealing the red mark of the 'Love' tattoo imprinted upon his forehead by his curse. He wasn't pale, but had the rough coloring of Suna about him, so he was tanner then most Konoha shinobi. Light, minty green eyes darkened with the forbidding presence of the black make up traced around his demon eyes. It looked severe, yet astounding; it was something that she was strangely drawn to. His clothing was made up of a completely concealing dark red cloak that had room to spare. A dark brown harness was tight around his torso, and it held up the gourd that was on his back. It contained the Shukaku's sand that was infused with his chakra. He also wore black pants that fell down to his feet and ended in black sandals. Heat rose to her cheeks and she was flushed with a fierce energy. She had not seen Gaara since the last time he had helped Konoha. And he had _grown. _Oh boy was that the truth. After just seeing his older brother, she could tell that he looked very favorable indeed, compared to Kankuro. He looked hot in the moonlight, and she could see his hidden expression in his faint smile. She shook her gaze from his and stood there, with an unperceivable stillness; waiting for what would come next. Suddenly, and without transition, his face became a mask of concealed emotion. It showed nothing and his blue eyes had become dark and haunted, blank, almost like he was hiding something from her. A thought hit her that she had just seen an expression that most do not see, and still live to tell the tale. Could he really possess more than the emotion of hate? She would have to find out. His subtle voice brought her out of her trance.

"Come."

She looked up at him, something glowing in her eyes, and held her injured arm with her hand. Before she could even respond to his command, he stretched out his hand and pulled it back. She felt a rushing of air, as she was dragged unceremoniously toward him, ankle first, as the sand shackle returned to its master.

She cried out in a startled voice, as she flew at him and he caught her with full force.

"Hello Sakura" he said "I've been waiting for you. It's a shame you had to be caught by my dobe brother."

She nodded, dumbfounded by his sheer power and thickly sexy appearance. Finally, finding her voice:

"I wondered if you would find me…" she managed to say, the spell still unbroken by his fiery black gaze.

He stared down at her and for a moment, his blood-colored hair obscured one of his eyes. His grin was wolfish, and the lust that was emitted with his words was tangible.

"Oh Sakura, I always find what I need, and I always get what I want."

He leaned down and licked the blood from her kunai wound in one fatal swipe. The contact both stung and set her skin on fire. She gasped and let a sigh escape her paled lips. He grinned and moved his head up to her ear and let his tongue touch the base of her neck, moving up until his teeth touched the lobe of her ear. She could hear his breath intensify (seeing as he was extremely close to her range of hearing), and she didn't back away when he placed his arms around her shoulders. Gaara pulled away then, almost as fast as it had happened, and grasped her arms. Flipping her around, the redhead put her onto his back piggy-back style, and leaped off into the trees.

"Were going to my current camp out here in Konoha"

He said matter-of-factly, as if this was a normal, everyday thing, and he was addressing a group on a tour of her village. It struck her as odd, that the other Konoha shinobi hadn't spotted him outside the boundaries, on their _own_ turf. But… why he didn't just rent a room in an inn was beyond her right now. Her senses were on high alert. The Suna ninja she was riding on seemed to be speeding up, eager to get to his camp and hideout, just as his breath turned to a husky torrent. The sound of trees whisked past her and she finally sighted a would-be-camp, nestled between the strong branches of two trees. There was a large bedroll there, as well as a candle lamp, and what looked like a cooking surface. The entire space, which looked remarkably cozy (coming from the fact that it was actually a cluster of trees), amazed her. It was fortified by sand that seemed to be standing in place, as strong as any wood. He dropped down from a higher branch, and they both soared through the air. Sakura felt the large gourd bang against her side, and wondered if Gaara was bothered by the weight on his back due to both burdens.

'_Why the hell am I wondering this about Sabaku No Gaara? He's the one who captured me! For all I care he can bear as much weight as he wants! I don't care if it hurts him!'_

They landed with a _"Tak"_ sound on the hard wood. She loosened her grip from around his neck and slid off his back as gently as she could. He stood there seemingly loving it, and that freaked her out. Of course he would love that she was on his back sliding down the length of him and touching his legs. The only thing that separated them were the binding clothes that they were wearing. But after rolling her eyes, at his suppressed sigh, she thought better and told herself that clothes were in fact a _good_ idea right now, with present company.

**A/N: Warning: Contains lemon flavor. Don't say I didn't warn you. You can go hide behind various objects in the room if you don't like it.**

He removed the heavy gourd from his back and let it fall against an adjacent trunk, harness and all. It fell with a clatter that shook the leaves. She tried to look indifferent as he commented:

"You're not that heavy, you know that." He said offhandedly.

She couldn't help but grin at his compliment, none of the other guys had ever treated her like that. They usually came onto her, and it really was strange that he of all people would choose one moment to be that kind to her. Turning her head she wondered aloud:

"Why…?" a deep sigh followed the word.

"You'll understand when the light goes out." She balked at the cryptic message, and noticed that the candle burning was at its halfway point. During her talk he had been inching closer to her and a powerful emotion had surrounded him. In one sweeping motion he had taken off his cloak and now he sat on his heels with black pants, and black netting on his bare chest. She rubbed her wounded arm self-consciously, eyeing him all the way down. He suddenly took her at once, claiming his Suna power over her, and she immediately felt weakened, but she was sure this wasn't the full effect. It only felt like her left leg was no longer a part of her. She realized that usually that would alarm most people if they lost the use of their left leg, but it was probably an effect of the Suna, drug-like jutsu. He reached for her shoulders, and found the white zipper that held her dress. It was then zipped down halfway and her entire chest was bare to the Suna-shinobi. His dark transformed eyes grew fiery once again and he silently crept his fingers along the back of her spine. One finger moving up her back, the other starting at her left arm and tracing her vein all the way up to her shoulder. He held her neck there and brought his mouth to her collarbone, moving up, caressing her skin with his lips. She felt a strange chill, but arched into his movements. Seeing that she was giving him access, he pushed her down and straddled one of her legs. Now his hands were bearing most of his weight on either side of her neck, and he let his chest fall to hers. She witnessed him tear apart his netting with demonic swipes, and glare lustfully at the flesh exposed to him. Pressing his skin against hers set him almost ablaze like a fiery conflagration.

She couldn't understand this feeling. Too many emotions were being repressed from her sub-conscious. Something was blocking the way she usually thought, and reacted. The only thing she could concentrate on were his blinding movements, so much like a sandstorm, swirling all around her. With ferocity, he brought his tongue down onto her chest, and moved it back hypnotically between her breasts. Suddenly, an emotion that had been suppressed broke free and she jolted to reality. It was fear. Fear of danger. He was going to touch her breasts! She should do something. She thought. Sakura tried to jerk away from his touch but he claimed one side as swiftly as he dared, moving at amazingly honed speed. He held her down with one hand and proceeded to receive his pleasure. It was like she was an annoying fly, how weak she was to be stopped by him one handed. He moved over to the other breast, licking the aching nub and crying out in joy. His mouth was animalistic, and fangs glowed in the wane candlelight. Drool cornered his mouth and sizzled on her hot flesh. He growled out in pleasure, and Sakura felt pure revulsion, and heat emanate from her body. He was a sick minded shinobi. How could she have ever felt she liked him? There was no time to contemplate this, as to the fact that Gaara had moved down past to her stomach, and sucked on her navel, enjoying the feeling of feeling her inside him for once. It was quite the opposite of what happened in usual girl-guy pairings. His licks turned to light but hot kisses as they moved toward what was left of her zipped up dress. It covered her hips, and soon, with the help of Gaara's deft fingers it was soon unzipped all of the way, and tossed aside from her body.

She shook with tension now, as his mouth got closer and closer to what she feared and dreaded. Hands rubbed her thighs and moved to spread them apart but she kept them locked, defiant to his persistent need. With a flash of teeth he had bitten into her flesh and ran his fingers through the wound, massaging the open tender tissue that was now splotching her pale skin. She now noticed that red scores ran the length of her leg and torso. And the blood that came from them started to sting with the piercing openness of the wind touching her inside. It was already decided. She would not let him take her yet. She could put up a fight still, as long as she held on to her consciousness. He grunted with effort as he hefted himself off of her body and scowled in distaste. Grasping her red kimono-dress from the side he threw it at her.

"I know what you're thinking, and no, I can't do _that_...at least not yet…but right now were going to sleep." He glanced at her and winked. "We've got a _busy_ day ahead of us tomorrow and it's gotten pretty late."

Somehow, she didn't like the fact that he put _specific _emphasis on the word 'busy', but she shoved her dress on and lay on one side of the bedroll. Sakura ultimately couldn't complain that he was finally finished…for tonight, she was whipped (so to speak) Gaara didn't bother to put on his shirt, but blew out the candle as he fell next to her. He brought his arms around her body and hugged her close. She could feel his body against hers, and rather uncomfortably, the hard lump that was between his legs was pressing against her legs. He kissed her pink hair and smiled. Of course she could not see this rare smile though, and sighed. It was going to be extremely hard to go to sleep tonight after the day's events. She never thought she would have been in a situation like this, but due to what had occurred lately, it seemed almost half-believable. In all actuality, it took her about a half hour to fall asleep and until Gaara was satisfied from the sounds of her regulated breathing and the gentle rise and fall of her back against his bare chest. He would enjoy tonight's insomnia. Sometimes he wished he could sleep, to just experience what kind of bliss it would be, to share sleep with another. Maybe she was dreaming…he thought wistfully. He wondered what dreams were like. But unfortunately, Gaara would never find out. He could not sleep, the Shukaku would not let him, and for the first time, Gaara cursed his name under the light of the moon and the dripping of the almost dead candle.

It was still dark out, and Sakura was jolted awake for reasons beyond her comprehension.

"_You will understand when the light goes out"_

The words rang over and over in her mind. Last night… Gaara had blown out the candle…after he had displayed that less then pleasing performance with her. But she still didn't understand anything. Nothing came to mind. The only thing she could possibly fathom was that he somehow needed her. She would probably regret this later, but she would try to put up with his harsh way of showing his…affection and getting his pleasure. She winced as Gaara's arms brushed her deep scratches on her arms, none too lightly. That was a reminder of what would happen to her if she let this go too far. _But then again, was it even her choice?_ The _Suna Baindingu No Jutsu _wouldn't let her be herself. It gave into all of Gaara's needs. Like Temari had said, she wouldn't be free until all four shackles were around her limbs, and then released. Her head fell back on the mat with a dull thud. It seemed to be weighed down with the heaviness of her current problem. Granted, most people didn't have a binding technique enclosing them to one person so they could be their little sex-ninja, so someone had to cut her a break! Contemplating this, her eyes closed, waiting for first light, when Gaara would reveal what they were going to do. Most likely it was more 'physical exertion'. She shuddered as she fell into a dreamless exhausted sleep once again.

"Sakura…Sakura…wakey-wakey Sakura!"

A calm singsong voice woke her from her tranquil state. It seemed like she had not been sleeping for nearly enough time, but here Gaara was, waking her up with a bright smile-scratch that, a hybrid between a grimace and a smirk, and patting her thigh. She gathered her bearings and brought herself to a sitting position on the bedroll. She was met with the sight of Gaara, eyeing her body all the way down, and leaving no mistake that he was checking her out. She quickly moved her arms down her legs and torso, making sure that she had not been violated during the night, when she noticed that her dress had been ruffled up over her kneecaps, and, regrettably, she discovered with a gulp, the inside of her thighs, were…wet. She stared up at her captor in disbelieve, and openly accused him with a grimace.

"Gaara! Did you do anything to me last night when I was sleeping?"

He placed his hands on her hips, drawing her close so she could hear his breathing. Staring at her in considerate disbelief he said:

"Why no! How could you say that of me? I'm not that ruthless. I didn't violate you at all." He shrugged his shoulders and glanced at her with his signature wolfish grin. "I mean, it's not _my_ fault that your body reacted like that when my hand _happened_to touch the inside of your legs. I was merely giving you comfort in the night." He gave a devious smile. "You were practically _begging_ for it" he sneered.

She gasped, leaving no gap for her emotions, not caring if he loved the shocked look on her face. After gulping breaths of air once or twice, she faced him and decided to keep up with the banter for a while. Maybe it would distract him.

"So, I understand that you were going to show me something?" she said, lazily draping an arm around his shoulder. He relaxed his grip on her and made to stand up. After gathering his gourd, Gaara roughly pulled Sakura up off of the 'temporary camp' and after hefting her between his arms like a baby, he breathed:

"Were going on a little trip. I hope you enjoy it."

The next couple of hours ensued like this: Sakura would lie in Gaara's arms as he traveled from tree to tree and she endured when he would find some way to touch her butt. She would give an embarrassed smile, giving into the fact that she had no idea where her captor was taking her, and that it wouldn't be a good idea to piss him off if she protested. When it had seemed like days going to their destination, she finally heard:

"Here we are" from Gaara's mouth.

The tree line thinned and light was shining from beyond it. She was totally taken off guard when he flew to the ground and his feet crunched on… sand. Her first thought as she scanned the shore was:

'_I can probably see the wave country from here!' _but her astonishment turned to dread as she thought: _'what does he plan to _do_ with all this sand?'_

Gaara wasted no time in answering her second thought. His hand brushed her back and she was eased into a sitting position on the soft pillow of sand. She sat in the sand and smelled the salty tang of the ocean, a cool breeze played across her face. The next thing she saw though, would be forever engraved in her mind. Gaara was standing a few feet in front of her, outlined by the setting sun and crashing waves. Who knew he would have taken her to the beach? She certainly didn't know, but was now interested in what he was going to do. He moved his arms around in graceful arcs which moved sand from the beach into small swirling tendrils. His right arm shot up. Sand on his right formed a small tidal wave and crashed back to the ground. His left arm shot up. Sand on his left side rose fiercely and formed an identical tidal wave, hovered, and then sunk back down to the ground. He crossed his arms and all of a sudden it was like dancing fountain waters (in sand form), in the fluid way that the sand fragments moved. They shot up in each and every direction, in every length and width. Sakura was sitting and watching a sand-fountain show, and it was all for her. It was all so beautiful, and exciting that she didn't know where to look! It seemed that she would loose all of the action if she even blinked. The exotic smell of Gaara's skin infused with the rich scent of sand allured her senses. It triggered something in her mind, something that felt familiar and strangely alien at the same time. Her eyes widened in recognition as sand waterfalls continued to swirl tantalizingly in and out of her vision.

'_I'm so sure that I've felt this sensation before…'_ Sakura thought mystified.

Then the sound of the swishing sand methodically erased the inquiry at once, as if it was silencing it. This was more than it seemed, the last fading shred of her clear mind assumed. She would no longer be herself, her clear-headed being. Now her thoughts were wholeheartedly consumed by this new, ecstatic feeling that was simply _amazing._ She met Gaara's gaze as he concentrated fully on some new sand formation. Sakura had to look away as she blushed with a giddy laugh. Well, now that she had torn her gaze from his, she thought she might as well asses what he had done. Sand leaped like rushing water, and even a mini tornado of sand swirled lazily around and around to her right. She was entranced by the simple fact that _Gaara _had done this. Previously, she had thought that the redhead only used his sand skills for torturing and killing his bloodlust-induced victims. It was almost scary that such beauty could be made from his bloodstained hands, and especially all for her! No one in Konoha would even _believe_ that she was the first lucky girl to gaze awestruck at a beach presentation by Gaara of _this _magnitude. It was unbelievably romantic. The combination of the sunset, calming waves, and 'magical' sand was the perfect setting. All of the right touches had been added.

_'Hmm all he's missing is the sake'_ she giggled to herself

Gaara finished his hand seal and the sand immediately started moving in complicated arcs. He approached Sakura with a death-defying seductive grin that could fell an army of lust-starved teenage girls. She fell into his grasp willingly, almost without thinking. She was pressed against his warm chest, standing in the sand as the grains swirled in a vortex around them. Faster and faster. Around and around, and around. _Swish, swish, swish._ The ground started rising underneath them; slowly at first and then gradually faster as it gained height. It seemed to be forming in the shape of a platform, big enough to fit two people if they stood. It was barely six feet from the ground when it stopped rising and floated rhythmically towards the sea. Each wave that crashed sparkled and shone in the suns dying light. A magical paradise. Sakura was surrounded by jeweled waves and was on a bewildering sand structure with possibly the most mysterious and gorgeous gothic-creature she had ever set eyes on. Her fuzzy mind could barely entertain the angelic thought.

He held her close and breathed in the sultry scent of her hair. Savoring the feeling, he eyed her mischievously. **This was it.** Taking her small hand in his he brought it to his face so she could _feel_ him. She could take in the texture of his skin and _know_ him. Sakura's green eyes flashed as she saw the obsidian orbs facing hers change. They grew softer, crying out almost for a reaction. Then Gaara's eyes changed back in a split second to their normal tint as he noticed something went awry. Had that been a trick of the light? Could Gaara actually love? It was immensely hard to understand. But suddenly her entire body convulsed from the contact Gaara had gently (key word gently) forced upon her. His skin felt warm, and untouched, so pure and sexy that it was scary. They gazed at each other. He moved his head forward, advancing. She did likewise, caught in the moment. **This was it. **The drug-like feeling that had crept into her mind leaped out as the real Sakura pushed it around, fighting for space. In her subconscious it was fighting, and with good 'ol reason!

'_Sakura-remember this is the same Gaara that kidnapped you and is planning to use you, have his way with you, you know, for his own jinchuuriki-lust! He's the one that gave you those gouges from that crazy time you had last night. He's the one that won't stop until he's gotten what he wants from you, which, I promise, will be painful-no doubt. So please, Sakura don't you dare get any closer to his damn face, because-' _But it was cut off. The drug-like feeling enveloped her now, completely making her temporary sober mindset vanish.

'_Hey Sakura. Do it. Don't listen to that side of you. Don't you want to do this? One word: he's damn sexy and he's yours for the taking. Believe me, you'll be the most popular girl if you chill with him. All those girls before with their wimpy 'boyfriends' will _envy_ you.'_

That was enough for her.

She just _had_ to do it. Taking her other hand and tilting Gaara's head with it, she kissed him, full on in a passionate embrace that sent her heart into frenzy. That frantic build up to this step had been excruciating, and finally it was over as Gaara ended the exploration with a gentle swipe of his tongue. She gasped for air, and caressed his face, mesmerized by the high feelings she had just experienced. He had tasted so delicious. Like the way the setting sun would taste, if it ever had a flavor, it would have to be like Gaara's kiss. It had the same fiery quality and burning sensation that left your mouth craving for more: more of that tantalizing liquid-fire, every drop a glistening stream of warmth. She breathed out suddenly, a rush of air escaping her radiant lips. Suddenly she felt light headed. Gaara stared at her right hand while she was spaced. He was paying far too much attention to her limb, far more then any person in their right mind would. Sakura didn't realize it yet, but sand was gathering around her right wrist. The second sand shackle was being formed.

Gaara noticed he had a window of opportunity here. Taking her opposite hand, he kissed it, lightly, his angelic lips barely touching the skin. Looking down at her hand with shielded eyes, focusing on the thin wrist, he unveiled them slowly, bringing his head up fraction by fraction: for added effect.

"Sakura –" he breathed. "I – I think I love you." He turned the words into and honest husky whisper.

She blinked. He could have told her to jump off a cliff right then, _right at that exact moment_, and she would have probably done it, complied, and died happily. His voice was like honey, dripping those sickly-sweet words. He could have told her anything and she would have believed it. Sakura couldn't take it. Her heart beat 1000 times a second as her pulse increased with shock. Her heart was soaring. _No one_ had ever said that to her. No one! She was lost in an abyss of her own imagination.

'He said he loves me. He said he loves me. He said he loves me.' She was losing consciousness, drowning in his words.

Gaara was surprised. His gentle smile changed to a metallic grin as he gazed hungrily at her right hand. A third shackle had formed. Sakura's heightened emotions from his sudden declaration of undying love had triggered it. He smiled wolfishly. This was what he had more or less expected would happen. In fact, it had turned out better then he had thought.

'Three down, one to go! I didn't think it would have gone as smoothly as it did… poor deluded chick.' he chuckled with malice on the inside. Then, as if realizing for the first time as he gazed down at her prone body: "Oh crap, she's fainted -" He said with no emotion whatsoever. "– I better get her to a real house, and soon." He advised himself. With one last glance over the sea at the stars appearing in the sky, he laughed out loud. There was a loud swish, as Gaara departed with his burden. Sakura's pink hair flowed in the wind as she set off unawares…to God knew where.

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**So.. Reviews would be uber-nice. I hope everyone liked this chap. more coming soon!**


	8. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone its been a while eh? Well just so you know my Cough editors, here were a bit too hampered with schoolwork and couldnt fully edit this chapter. (i'm just telling you yaddda yadda yadda) So hope you all like it, heres the chapter you've hopefully been waiting for if you havent yet forgotten about this long drawn out fanfic. **

**quick shoutouts to:**

**bakura666**

**xdearest mistake**

**soccergrl11**

**[because I can**

* * *

Chapter 9: the trouble with ame

Rain drummed on a single window in a small room. It was dark and humid in the enclosure. A few hours had passed since the stars had appeared in the sky. Sakura's head was swimming. She remembered Gaara had been holding her beside the ocean and the waves had crashed…but after that…nothingness. It was so dark, and she could feel her body shivering slightly. One eye opened tentatively. She scanned her surroundings. She was in a small apartment room, from what she could tell, and it looked like there were various posters of ramen adorning the walls. An adjacent room was obviously a bathroom, and on the far side of the room: parallel to the bed sat a low table, take out littering the surface. This place didn't look too well taken care of, and the rain didn't exactly add a cheery-ness to it either. The mirror across the room reflected the gloom back at her. And for the first time since she had come to, she heard faint breathing next to her. With grate effort she moved her gaze to the side of the bed. A figure loomed from the shadows and appeared in front of her face.

"Fantastic. Your up." Said a monotone voice.

Sakura closed her eyes tight shut as soon as she identified the voice belonged to none other than Gaara she scrunched herself together, not wanting to believe this, and scrambled blindly for the sheet. She just wanted to cover herself up, just escape this nightmare and forget that it ever happened. As she opened her eyes again, she let out an exasperated sigh. He was still standing there, by her bedside: Obviously he wasn't going anywhere.

Reluctantly she spoke up: "…Where are we Gaara?" she said with a tone of apprehension creeping into her voice.

He rolled his eyes and smiled. "Naruto's house." He replied matter-of-factly.

Sakura shot out of the bed, pulling the sheet off her legs in embarrassment.

'That must be Naruto's bed!' standing up and walking towards the rain-spattered window, she thought: 'It makes sense: the trash, the obsessive ramen infatuation…'she mentally calculated. Then it hit her. Naruto would never willingly give up his house to Gaara, especially since he was carting around the girl he loved most.

'Please say he didn't hurt him…' her stomach clenched painfully. Naruto was her friend; she couldn't just sit around and not know what had become of him. She walked purposefully over to Gaara from the other side of the room. He watched her the entire way over, and smirked. She scowled and faced him, looking up to him and grabbed the front of his shirt. Sakura was enraged that he just thought this was a cute little game.

"What did you have to do to get into Naruto's house?" her voice was steely, unbreakable. She glared up at him with emerald fire in her eyes. He chuckled and played along with her. Gaara could have easily overpowered her: his sand gourd was at the foot of the bed, inches from his grasp.

"Don't worry baby, I took care of it." He replied benignly.

She continued to glare at him. Her entire body language was screaming: 'I'm so not satisfied with that answer!' Her right hand clenched into a fist while her left, holding Gaara's shirt, tightened its grip. Gaara looked at her hungrily, clearly he was getting turned on by the fierceness which was emanating from her.

"He's not hurt" He finally said coolly, his eyes betraying that fact that he didn't want to be distracted from the feast his eyes were having. She sighed and let go of his clothing, backing away self-consciously.

"You know…" he said slipping close to her. "…I could tell you the rest of the story, if you do something for me." He grabbed her arm and sidled closer, and licked her ear with one fatal swipe. She could hear his breathing, and it was getting ragged. She shivered – and not from the cold.

'Listen Sakura, you can do this. You need to find out what happened to Naruto, he would do the same for you! Gaara…. w – won't do it yet. Like Temari said...' she gulped. "He won't fully have control until all four shackles are on you."

She hadn't had to ask what that meant. 'So he'll bang me 'till I'm at my braking point. What an all-inclusively happy thought for a virgin.' Breaking her reverie – she took hold of Gaara's arm and whispered: "Ok Gaara-sama, do your worst" she could feel herself grow bolder with every step she took. His dark eyes grew ravenous.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear Sakura"

// A few blocks away from the fated house Sakura was trapped in, there were a couple of people out by the entrance gate to Konoha-gakure. They were standing in the pouring-down rain. An Orange-clad teen was hopping up and down as if something was bothering him. Next to him stood a soaked-through woman with blonde braids and a forest green jacket on. She had her arms crossed and her foot was tapping impatiently on the puddle ground.

"…but Tsunade-no-baachan…why do I have to go out on a mission in this?" the loudmouthed blonde yelled, gesturing all the while at the fierce rain that littered all they could see. She calmly took a slow breath and answered, hoping to persuade the blonde by these words:

"Naruto, you will do what you are told." She paused and resumed. "would a future Hokage disobey a mission for his village?" she countered.

Naruto's eyes sparkled. He looked like a totally new-focused person, different from what he had just been like moments ago. "Don't worry Tsunade-no-baachan, I'll be back soon from my two-night mission on border patrol!" He pumped his arm into the air with a shout, and set off into the forest, splashing in the rain.

Tsunade watched the teen go, with no facial expression whatsoever. Rain pattered ceaselessly on her but still did she not move. Quietly, a small sound could be heard. Tsunade was chuckling softly to herself, although it didn't actually sound like her normal self. Something strange was happening. Sand was seeping through Tsunade's hands. She seemed indifferent to the sand that was rolling off of her clothes and hair. Actually, her clothes and hair were actually gathering into a pile of sand on the ground. A moment later, the crumbling remains of the figure were no longer there. It was gradually turning into a small mud puddle, in the torrential downpour. One word was whispering in the torrent, and it wound itself around the houses and the spot where Tsunade, Konoha-gakure's Hokage, had been. //

"…Suna –bushin?" Sakura inquired. They were both in Naruto's bed, legs and arms tangled together. The sheet was covering up their top halves, while they still wore bottom coverings, much to the displeasure of Gaara, although the dark-jeaned sadist had soon forgotten that he was displeased as soon as Sakura put her moves into action. There had been an intense make-out session that endured, each savoring the taste of each others lips immensely. Gaara had groped all he liked, his hands sometimes trailing up her skirt in the heat of the moment, until she forced herself differently, taking his mind elsewhere. Sakura had let her hands move freely as she wanted as well. As long as she was stuck here she might as well try to enjoy herself too, right? That logic had driven her on for nearly the two hours that they had been like that. She had explored every inch of him she could get her hands on, relishing the feel of his hardened chest and articulate muscles. Gaara was particularly excited tonight, she could tell because he went out of his way to make sure that she had felt his hardness against her skin. The pink haired girl blinked at the information she had had to wheedle from him. It had been hard work getting it! …so many difficult positions he had forced her into… but she was proud of herself. She must be good if she could bring on enough desire from him to crack the information she wanted, even though they had never had to go all the way.

"Suna-bushin? You just made a Tsunade suna-bushin and tricked Naruto into leaving for a couple of days?" She couldn't put her finger on it, but something seemed strange in his explanation, like it didn't make sense. " I - It seems too simple. Naruto would never ever fall for that!" she tried o defend him, but it seemed as if she even had some doubts about her blonde friend.

Gaara rifled a large hand through his blood red hair, and smiled. He had loosened up, and was in fact happy. He could get used to a little more of this. Soon it would be time. He would have control over all of Sakura…and what a prize she was! "That's just it Sakura, Naruto is just such a dobe that he would fall for it. As you can see, It's been now six hours since we arrived here and Naruto has not shown up, meaning…he effing fell for it!" he broke down laughing, curling up as his sides heaved. His dark-rimmed eyes closed as he enjoyed the moment. Sakura looked at him. He looked so carefree and different that she could not bring herself to argue with him(even though she had every right under the sun) but she decided that she had done well and made Gaara almost – happy. Lying there, in the sheets, tangled and hugging a guy, she realized she had changed. She wasn't as shy and 'thought-processey' as she was usually. When she was with him the redhead for those two hours, she had felt free even though she was far from it, with three sand shackles, bonding her limbs. One leg. One leg was what made her free from imprisonment. She would delay that for as long as possible. Her right leg was her only connection to the rest of Konoha-gakure. It was all she had left. She could feel tears welling in the back of her eyes. Willing them to stop, she eased her worn body out of the small bed and wrapped a small fuzzy pink towel around her. It barely covered her assets. She hurriedly explained to Gaara

"I'm going to go take a shower. I need to cool off…my…skin's sort of on fire…?" she ended awkwardly, not sure if he would let her be alone. He lifted a non-existent eyebrow (or so it looked) seeming interested, but didn't move from the comfort of the bed. She took his silence as an amazing – YES!! She had gained safe passage to the bathroom. Bursting into the tiled room, she closed the door as soon as she was inside. The towel dropped to the floor and her hand turned on the shower tap. She had a moment where she asked herself:

"Where in the world did Naruto get fuzzy pink towels…?" but she left it at that, as the water rushed instantly out, cold as ice. It drowned out the sound of the rain altogether. She moved her gaze toward the window on the sidewall parallel to the shower. Rain was no longer beating at the house. It had stopped.

"At least something's are clearing up." she said, bitter at her memories of what had gone wrong.

She looked at Naruto's bathroom: It was simple. It had a sink, a shower, a toilet, and a closet. She hardly had then strength to criticize his decorating sense though, and hopping into the shower she moaned as the water hit her body and seared. The contact of ice cold water and burning hot skin had a calming effect upon her.

'Okay girl, time to evaluate. This would be the perfect time to think! First – you shouldn't have fallen for that CENSORED sentence, that "I love you" crap. That's what caused you to get these extra 'fashion statements'" she thought, lifting her wrists as if she was accepting an imaginary gift. 'Remember what Tsunade-sama said that day?'

// Tsunade rifled through her papers on her big teak desk. She gulped down another cup of sake and refilled it from a white bottle near her arm. Sakura; who had finished her first healing jutsu-workout, sat on the windowsill – staring absentmindedly outside. She'd been doing this for much of the afternoon, sighing occasionally. Finally, Tsunade couldn't take it anymore. She rolled her eyes and slammed her hands on her desk, grabbing Sakura's attention and managing to knock over the sake to the floor where it shattered, in the process.

"SAKURA!!!" she boomed in a slightly intimidating voice. "You have been sighing like a love-struck puppy all day. Tell me what is troubling you, or get the hell out of my office!" Sakura leaped off of her seat, startled. She looked happy, like nothing could change her day for the worst. With a big smile she answered:

"Well…Tsunade-Sama today I found out that ….that Uchiha Sasuke likes me." She blushed and smiled.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. The Uchiha was a difficult one. He was always off by himself trying to better himself so he could avenge his family and defeat his older brother Uchicha Itachi. The girls all loved him, and all the guys were jealous of him even if they didn't admit to it. This just didn't fit. He would never openly admit to liking a girl, never mind that he didn't have feelings, he just didn't have the time for liking a girl. She knew that she would have to explain the situation to Sakura in the gentlest way possible.

"Sakura – let me tell you something I've learned from being with two of the male Sanin. Men will say almost about anything they can to get a girl to respond to them. When a man says "I love you" you may think that he loves you, but he really doesn't love you that way. He loves missions, he loves his precious jutsu, and he loves his mom. You are in the same category as all of those "I love this" things. It just doesn't mean anything to him – at all. You may hear it, and get super-excited and feel like he loves you, but in reality, he does not and will not. That's the problem with men. They live in a visual world and care about whatever they see in front of them at that exact moment. As soon as you leave his sight, he moves on to the next thing t o love. It could be another pretty girl, or some new jutsu that they have finally mastered."

"Girls, on the other hand take things way too seriously. They create a world around what the guy said and live in it, ignoring everything else. Men will tell women whatever they can to get what they want. Please, just ignore Sasuke's 'Remark'. He does not like you. He can't Sakura. And promise me – promise next time you hear this from another guy – don't take them seriously. He's lying to you and you'll find out later that he might use you."

Sakura nodded gravely, and looked up, determined. "Okay Tsunade-Sama goma? I promise that I will not give in to a guy if he tells me that, next time."

Tsunade smiled. "Good girl Sakura. I know you won't let yourself down next time. I have faith in you. You are a very talented girl and you won't succumb so easily." She ended the conversation with a note of pride in her voice. Sakura bowed low to the ground and exited her instructor's office, bright and full of hope. //

Sakura banged her head on the shower wall, and after a couple of seconds, left it there. 'how could I have left my Sensei down? Tsunade-Sama had warned me and I did'nt use her advice at all! Gaara had obviously been lieing when he told me he "thought he loved me" she made little air quotes with her fingers. "But then again, I don't think I had a clear head. I remember something had been making it hard to think… there was that time in the tree… and then the time when I was going to kiss him at the beach. Could Gaara's sand have some drug-like effect that was messing with my mind? It would explain my strange behavior around him that leads me to do the things that he wants me to do." She punched her fists together in excitement, suddenly having a revelation. "That's IT! I remember fighting it last time! So the only challenge is…how can I overcome it? I can't really see a solution. Hmm... The only way could be sheer willpower, but I'd have to try extremely hard. I have to figure out what I want, concentrate on it, and break the feeling, get back control!"

This was great! She felt much happier about her situation and how she could face it and not cry like a child. She felt so relaxed, and it one with herself amidst the pain of her current state. Water pummeled her body, but suddenly, it was scratching her, rubbing her skin raw in a torrent of a million tiny needles made of glass. Then it stopped! The substance that had assailed her was sand. It was trickling out of the shower head until it stopped abruptly. The sand had stopped the flow of water! She shrieked, her bare feet slipped on the sand in the shower as she hurriedly tried to escape the brimming tub of the objects. Gasping for breath, her hands fumbling for the sink, she steadied herself, standing and getting over the initial shock. Her eyes cast around the room, suddenly accusatory.

"What the hell was that? What are you trying to pull?" she screamed out hysterically. Thoroughly exhausted, she slid down the pole of the sink until she was sitting on the bath mat, arms around her knees. Sakura sighed, her eyes focusing on the shower curtain. But suddenly the shower curtain was jerked off its rings, falling to the floor. Sakura gasped again speechless from shock. How had he gotten in here? Gaara was breathing evenly, as if none of this bothered him. As if he didn't care that Sakura had been talking to herself for the duration of her shower. He probably did it all the time. His eyes roved the bathroom, as he held up a fist with sand escaping the spaces between his fingers. She stared at it. It reminded her of the time she had. Her time was running out.

"Such fond memories…" Gaara voiced with an air of untold happiness gracing his presence. He said the words absentmindedly, as if he were caught in a memory. Clambering out of the bathtub, he sat hunched over her, elbows on knees. She attempted to pull herself closer to the sink since she was in an awkward position, between the floor and Gaara's crotch. As she slithered out of her predicament, she asked

"Since when do you have…fond memories of Naruto's bathroom?"

His head jerked towards hers, his eyes turning a coal black instead of the glassy appearance that they had just held.

"Never mind that" he growled sullenly. Hoisting himself into a standing position he said "Lets go to the Onsen! I think it's well deserved." He purred, his eyes locking onto hers. Sakura was helpless to his gaze. She was paralyzed with fear from his sudden change of moods. He seemed impatient, like something had to be done. The only thing she feared right now was _who_ had to be done?

"C'mon Sakura-hime get your clothes on-" he winked at her. "Were going out tonight." The redhead seductively traced a finger up and down the underside of her chin, and she shivered. He held her face in his hands once again, this time softer and more caring. For a second she thought that he was going to say something else. But the boy just shook his head sadly and slid out the door. Sakura was then left dumbstruck, mentally preparing herself for Gaara's devices.

onsen- bathhouse

hime- princess

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**So.. Reviews would be totally awesome. It just might help me finish up this fic in and or under 3 more chaps or less. cann it be done? We shall find out. Argh school is what makes it hard to post these dang chaps...**


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